McGill University 2024 - 2025 Chwang-Seto Innovation Fellowships Program

The Chwang-Seto Innovation Fellowships Program supports the recipient and the team on the development of a technology in order to bring it closer to the marketplace and allow the fellow to gain further knowledge and experience in business and technology commercialization

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirments
• Interview Process
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineNovember 3, 2024
• Value$50,000
• Study LevelPostdoctoral Fellowships
• SponsorMcGill University
• City to studyQuebec
• School to studyMcGill University
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

Up to $50,000 is awarded as a grant to the Principal Investigator with 80% minimum in stipend/salary going to the eligible McGill Faculty of Engineering PhD student or post-doctoral fellow to carry out the project full-time within 1 year maximum

Program Objectives

• Advance the technology from a minimum of TRL3 to TRL5 or higher in conjunction with targeted market needs/opportunities. 
• Significantly increase the likelihood of creating a McGill spinoff company or licensing the technology to an existing company.
• Provide an opportunity for the inventors to focus on the development of their invention while acquiring business and technology commercialization skills as part of the innovation process.

Requirements

Application: 

• Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed. You can send your draft application for review prior to the deadline to the Engine's associate director, [email protected] or to one of the Ronald Chwang Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

Lead Applicant:

• Current postdoc at McGill Faculty of Engineering or a PhD student who has successfully defended their thesis at McGill Faculty of Engineering by the time of the award.
• Co-inventor or has worked on the invention, along with a full-time professor at McGill Faculty of Engineering, on an active report of invention backed by the McGill’s Innovation and Partnerships office, I+P. The professor cannot hold an Engine gap funding grant (TechAccelR, WRSA) for the same invention at the same time as this project grant.

Invention: 

• The technology must be reported as an invention to McGill's Office of Innovation and Partnerships. 
• In the application you will need to include the summary of the due diligence review undergone by the Technology Transfer Office per section 3.3 of the McGill Guidelines on the Application of the Policy on Inventions and Software. Please contact your Technology Transfer Manager well in advance of the deadline.
• Technology not yet optioned nor licensed nor assigned to third party (except for McGill spinoffs). Minimum TRL3.

Interview Dates and Process

Applications will be evaluated based on:

Evaluation Section	Percentage Allocated	Description
Problem Statement	20%	What is the problem being solved? Does the proposed solution fill an unmet need? Are your target customers clearly outlined? Have you validated the problem with your target customers?
Proposed Solution/Approach	25%	Is this a novel, not obvious, and potentially disruptive technology? Has the competitive landscape been identified? Any customer/end user validation?
Technology Development and Commercialization Plan	25%	What is your project? Is there proof of concept already? What is the IP strength and stage of development both of technology and market validation? Is there a strong potential impact or market need?  What is the assessment of the patentability, third party rights, marketability, and commercial potential of the invention/technology? Have the business challenges been acknowledged?   Will this Award greatly help move the technology towards commercialization, e.g. will it attract and accelerate follow-on funding from other sources, significant/relevant technical milestones will be achieved (e.g. go/no-go proof, improved scope and value of the IP, prototype for MVP).
Project Budget by Milestones and Funding	20%	Does the proposal clearly identify the key technology development milestones and deliverables? Are the planned expenditures appropriate and justified?
Team and Collaborators	5%	Who are the current team members? Has the additional talent needed throughout the project been clearly identified?
Presentation and Q&A	5%	In-person presentation by lead applicant to the Selection Committee with Q&A.  Communication clear? Enthusiasm and desire for innovation?   chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_2024_presentation_guidel

Application Deadline

November 3, 2024

How To Apply

Are you qualified and interested in this opportunity? Kindly go to McGill University on forms.office.com to apply

Applicants will need to attach the following documents in the application form.

•  chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_2024_application_project_proposal.docx
•  chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_2024_project_budget_by_milestones.xlsx
•  chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_2024_presentation_guidelines.docx

Selected applicants will need to complete an in-person 10-15 minute presentation to the Selection Committee

For more details, visit McGill University 2024 Chwang-Seto Innovation Fellowships Program webpage